De Peeple have spoken.
The “upper house” of elitism and privilege will stay. The chamber whose members are selected by 1%
of the population and by political cronyism
– otherwise known as “appointments” (See Irish Times graphic above).
A chamber full of dead wood and dross – graced now and in the past by heavyweights
such as Ivor Callely, Donie Cassidy, Jimmy Harte, Bertie Ahern, and Michael
McDowell – rejected at the polls in his last general election outing.
Most of De Peeple I
am acquainted with never stop banging on about our corrupt and useless political
class, yet when given a gold-plated opportunity to put a few of them out on
their waffling arses arrives, De Peeple elect – the only such input they have ever had into
the Seanad – to keep these wafflers in jobs.
Amazing.
The Dublin chattering classes have much to answer for. Even so-called “left wing” commentators such
as Fintan O’Toole called for a “no” to abolition of the anachronistic upper
house. For once, the culchies led the
way by voting "yes" – from this perspective anyhow – as a clear urban/rural divide saw the city
slickers vote “no’ decisively.
Irish democracy has thrown a fundamentally undemocratic institution an unexpected lifeline.
It gets curiouser and curiouser.
7 comments:
"Senators were paid allowances of over nearly €150,000 for August when the Seanad had only one day of business".. so reports the Irish Examiner. Interesting that the city of Dublin wanted to retain this institution, while outside the pale, it was a No. Most of the electorate were not arsed either , seeing the low turn out.I am perplexed...GM..
ahh.....sur didden de people want to show de chancers in de dail bar who was de boss by keepin anudder shower of chancers goin' in de seanad bar showin' de world once more how sofis..sofas...ehhh... how smart de average punter is.
oh sooh sophisticated yeahhhh no mean yes. heeeee haaa hooo hooo haaa
Yes, it's a strange little land indeed. And De Peeple are stranger still!
Present company excepted, of course.
It's going to be "reformed" by allowing all third-level graduates a vote. So no vote for me, in other words. Some democracy.
its taken many years for me to realize that I am not alone on this planet, I am pleasantly staggered to learn that there are other people who share my view of the kip called Ireland. I never heard of 'Gombeen Nation' before I happily stumbled across the site this morning. I declare from the outset that I am 67 years old and have lived and worked in Hampshire since I was 18! I love it here! (my ashes and those of my English wife will be dug into the same spot in the woods behind our house)
Nonetheless... I still have a huge interest in what happens 'at home' and I am enraged by what I read on the Indo site. If I manage to contribute in future, I will clarify.
Thanks Bosphonic. Good to know there are a few of us out here, as the blog proves.
I've slowed down the blog a bit, as it's so easy to get worn out by it all. If you want to contribute any of your thoughts or experiences, you are more than welcome.
I lived in London between 1986 and 1985, most of it in Stratford. Still have mates from there.
Thanks for the feedback and support.
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